Team leader in tackles after opener hopes to continue trend in Detroit

EAST RUTHERORD — Safety Andrew Adams was among the team leaders in overall snaps and led Big Blue with six tackles in Thursday's preseason premiere against Cleveland. Now, as the Giants prepare for dual practices in Detroit and a game against the Lions this week, Adams hopes to continue his impressive play.

"They're evaluating every day," said Adams. "Day in and day out, you just gotta put your best foot forward and let the chips fall as they may."

Adams is in a crowded secondary situation that is one of the more contested position battles in camp. Listed as a third-string strong safety on the unofficial Giants depth chart, Adams hopes that his hard work and fast play will continue to raise his stock.

"There will be a handful of guys that played well last week that'll get bumped up," Giants coach Pat Shurmur said about expected reps in Detroit. "When you're trying to find role players and backups, it's good to see how they do against the ones. These three days of practice [in Detroit] will be competitive."

Adams is in a position to impress further with an injury to Darian Thompson opening up an already competitive battle at free safety. With a change from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4 scheme under new defensive coordinator James Bettcher, versatile pieces are what the Giants need.

"Coach Bettcher has a lot of moving pieces, so once you learn that, it's just about playing ball," said Adams. "It's not a lot of memorization. Once you install something, it has a lot of carryover."

Giants safety Landon Collins is expected to become more versatile in Bettcher's schemes, making the free safety competition that much more important. Collins has been impressed with the defensive personnel and the energt

"All of the guys I play next to stand out," said Collins. "One guy makes all the calls and one guy is making sure we make the right adjustments. All of the guys are making great decisions and fighting for the job. I'm excited for those guys and I know that whoever plays next to me will be able."

The new-look Giants defense has been coming together like a family, partially because it already is. Adams has enjoyed sharing the field with his brother-in-law, Alec Ogletree. Traded to the Giants in the offseason, Ogletree was a first-round draft pick out of Georgia in 2013, while Adams has been with the Giants since he went undrafted in 2016. Despite their different paths, coming together now helps both players and their family as a whole.

"It's great," said Adams. "He doesn't live too far from me, so my sister is close. Instead of trying to go to LA for the Rams and then come here to watch me, we are all here."

NY Giants notes

► The Giants will leave for Detroit on Monday afternoon and have three joint practices with the Lions before Friday's game.

► Defensive coordinator James Bettcher was not with the team Sunday to attend services in Indiana following the death of his mother last week. Bettcher will rejoin the team in Detroit on Tuesday.

► The highlight of practice came from defensive lineman Kerry Wynn, who intercepted an intended screen pass and ran the ball back for a touchdown. Wynn forced a special teams fumble for the Giants against the Browns.

► Quarterback Davis Webb, who threw the interception to Wynn, took first team offensive snaps on Sunday, looking to move past a 9-for-22 performance against Cleveland on Thursday. Webb threw well Sunday, including a deep completion to tight end Jerell Adams one play before the interception.

► Rookie quarterback Kyle Lauletta took snaps with the second team as Shurmur focused time on both young quarterbacks.

► Wide receiver Cody Latimer, well-known for special teams, hopes to continue emerging as a third or fourth wide receiver on offense. Latimer had a series of great catches, including a great fade catch in the end zone from an Eli Manning throw.

►The offense and defense swapped colors for Sunday's practice as the defense switched to blue jerseys and the offense wore white for the first time this season. The four quarterbacks wore red jerseys, along with defensive end Jordan Williams, who is currently in concussion protocol.